Dharmasthala case: SIT likely to submit report by Oct 31

Bengaluru: Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara stated on Monday that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) is likely to submit its report in the sensational Dharmasthala case by October 31.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, HM Parameshwara said, “The SIT has informed that it will submit the report by the end of October. They are expected to submit it by October 31. If not on that date, I assume it will be submitted within a day or two. We have asked them to submit a comprehensive and final report.”

“The SIT has stated that the report will be submitted after receiving the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and chemical analysis reports. They were waiting for the results of the analysis of the excavated bones as well,” Parameshwara added.

Meanwhile, the SIT has issued notices to activists Mahesh Shetty Thimarody, Girish Mattennavar, and T. Jayanth, directing them to appear before the Investigating Officer on Monday. All three have been at the forefront of protests against the Dharmasthala temple authorities and have targeted Dharmadhikari and BJP Rajya Sabha Member Veerendra Heggade and his family members.

The SIT has also issued a notice to Sujata Bhat, who had earlier claimed that her daughter, an MBBS student, went missing under suspicious circumstances in Dharmasthala and alleged foul play. Later, she retracted her statement, admitting that her allegations were false and expressing her intent to apologise.

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sensational Dharmasthala case is preparing to file a chargesheet before the court by the end of October, after completing the investigation, recording statements, collecting evidence, and gathering related documents.

The investigation into the alleged mass murder case has reached its final stage, as the agency has reportedly found no concrete evidence linking the temple authorities to the serious allegations of mass killings of women, girls, and elderly persons over the past decade.

The jailed complainant, Chinnaiah, had earlier produced a skull before the authorities and court to support his claims.

Following an extensive excavation operation in Dharmasthala, the SIT arrested Chinnaiah on charges of misleading the police and the court. The SIT is also likely to initiate action against activists and YouTubers who were at the forefront of the campaign against the temple authorities.

On July 11, Chinnaiah, who had claimed that he was forced to bury several bodies of women who were raped and murdered in Dharmasthala village appeared before a court in Karnataka’s Mangaluru district, and recorded his statement. He submitted his statement under Section 183 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) before Principal Civil Judge and First Class Judicial Magistrate Sandesh K.

He was accompanied by a group of lawyers and police personnel and entered the court with his face covered. The development had sparked a major controversy. He requested that the police exhume the bodies in his presence. The complainant also sought protection for himself and his family.

He further alleged that the bodies of the women showed clear signs of sexual assault. They were found without clothes or undergarments and bore injuries suggesting violent acts. The revelations have shocked the state.

A retired Supreme Court judge and activists demanded a SIT probe monitored by the Supreme Court or the High Court into the shocking murders involving many women and others.

IANS